Wood-turning tool



Nov. 14, 1944. s. A. MOORE woon TURNING TOOL Filed June 14, 1943 INVENTOR. jarmz/e/ H on:

Patented Nov. 14, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WOOD-TURNING TOOL Samuel A. Moore, Los Angeles, Calif. V Application June 14, 1943, Serial No. 490,751 6 Claims. (01. 142 56) which has a single handle and is moved along the length of the surface to be worked. This operation is not easy to carry out as small local variations in the wood will tend to vary the cut of the chisel, and since the cutting edge of the chisel must be maintained true to the line of the cut,

the slightest deviation will result in scoring the work.

A cause of further diificulty arises from the grain structure of many kinds of wood which because of its hardness, increases the difficulty of holding a true cutting line and maintaining uni formity of depth of cut.

Some of the disadvantages of theslick chisel are avoided by using 'a small block plane, which consists essentially of a wooden ormetal body having a fiat face which is moved over the work and a cutting blade projecting slightly through a slot extending across the face, though not completely so. The flat faceinsures a uniform depth of cut, but this cut cannot be carried clear up to a bead, and because of the relatively bulky nature of the tool, the operation of the cutting blade cannot be observed very well. Furthermore, since shavings from the cutting operation fill up the narrow slot through which the blade projects, the plane has tobe removed from the work from tim to time to shake out the shavings which accumulate on the cutting blade and are retained by the side walls of the plane.

The general object of my invention is to provide a cutting and smoothing tool for use in wood turning capable of working right up to a bead or other abrupt interruption of the surface to be worked, and reducing the liability of marring the surface by accidental variation of the depthof cut of the cutting blade or of the corners thereof,the tool combining the handiness of a chisel with the safety features of a plane while in addition possessing advantages and features new in the art.

An object of my invention is to provide a smoothing tool adapted to be maintained in position by holding the tool with both hands, handles being arranged at each end of the tool which enable pressure to be steadily maintained across the line of out, giving a more sensitive and effective control than that possible with any tool known to me usecifor a similar purpose.

Another object of my invention is to provide a planing or smoothing tool for use particularly in wood turning, having a flat working face with a cutting blade projecting through a slot arranged to extend from near one edge of a blade carrying body to and through the opposite edge of the body, this arrangement of the tool enabling the cut to be'carried clear up to a shoulder, and a uniform depth "of cut to be obtained;

Another object of the invention is to provide a planing or smoothing tool for use particularly in wood turning provided with an adjustable and removable blade wherebythe depth of cut may be varied to suit the nature'of the material being worked on, achipped blade may be changed, or the. blade sharpened, with little loss of time.

Afurther object of my invention is to provide a cutting and smoothing tool for wood turning having anyoblique cutting position of the blade while holding. the tool at right angles to the axis of rotation of the work piece, thus obtaining the advantage of an oblique cutting edgewhile avoiding the disadvantage of having to obtain this obliquity byholdingthe tool at an angle to the work.

a cutting and smoothing tool for wood turning which is self clearing of the turnings, a cutting blade beingarranged in a slot in a blade carrying body, which slot is inclined to the line of cut and is open at one end, so that when the toolisheld vertically or inclined in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the work piece, wood shavings or turnings can readil fall from the tool.

The slick or smoothing chisel which my tool is designed to replace is one of the most difficult Wood turning tools to use," and consequently presents a very serious problem to beginnersin the wood turning art. However; due to' the simplicity and fool-proofconstruction of my smoothing tool, it can be readily used by amateursand other beginners with excellent r'e'sultsand with no fear of damaging the Work. V

Further, objects and features of the invention will hereinafter appear in the following'specifi'cation which disclosesfor illustrative purposes a preferred formof my invention. Many modifications andvariat'ions of thestructurali embodiment described, may be madej however', without de- Another object of my invention is to provide parting from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the tool of my invention made for cutting to the right Fig. 2 is a plan view of the tool shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the tool shown in Fig. 2, taken in the direction of the arrow3inFig.2; t

Fig, 4 is a cross-sectionon the line 4-4 of Fig. '2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to that of Fig. :2, but showing a tool arranged for cutting to the left.

In the drawing, in which similar numerals indicate similar parts, Fig. 1 shows the general arrangement of the tool, numerals 6 and l indicating handles, and 8 a blade holder comprising a toe or leadin portion 8a and a blade supporting portion 812.

The numeral 9 indicates a bridge member rigidly connecting po'rtionsBa and 8b of the body, these parts preferably being formed as one casting. .It will be noted thatbridge 9 is narrow but deep in vertical section and extends'from end to end of the body along one side, this construction affording a rigid alignment of the body portions 8a and 8b while occupying a minimum of the body portion resulting in a minimum of interference with the vision of the operator.

Numeral [0 indicates 'a V-shaped slot extending across the body 8 from the bridge piece to the opposite edge thereof. Slot H], as most clearly shown in Fig. 3, is relatively wide, the wall ll of the slot facing toward the advancing work when the tool is in use, being preferably more slopedthan the opposite wall for the purpose of forming a supporting surface. Numeral l2 indicates a cutting blade of the type generally used in planes, though because of the flatness of the tool, the height of the blade may be less than the width of the blade. It will be noted that the wall I I is given a slope enabling a fine cut to be made and the body may be advantageously of such thickness that no additional support of the blade is necessary, the blade being directly clamped to the sloping wall ll of the slot in thebody. Numeral l3 indicates a clamping means which, as illustrated, comprise a stud screwing into a tapped bore drilled into the sloping face H and clamping the blade 10 through a washer l4 positioned between the head of .the stud and the blade. In the drawing, the blade [2 is shown provided with a slot IE to permit adjustment of the blade to vary the depth of out.

It will be seen that the blade clamping means are simple and effective, employing a minimum number of parts which, are light in weight and small in size. This gives a light, sturdy construction while also providing the advantage that no material obstruction is presented to the tumings working up the blade so that the users view of the operation of the cutting blade is unob-- structed by shavings piling up on the blade.

It will be noted that blade I2 is clamped along the base of bridge member 9 which aids effectively in holding the blade in adjusted position against forces tending to shift the blade edge out of proper alignment and thus cause a variation or unevenness in the cut of the edge.

As most clearly shown in Figs, 2 and 5, the body portion 8 is preferably formed of rectangular shape but is arranged at an angle to a line passing through the handles, this formation of the body 8 resulting in the slot It] being given a direction oblique to the line of out,

As will be seen from Figs, 2 and 3, the bridge 9 is arranged along the edge of the body first engaging the work piece, enabling wood shavings to move freely along the V-shaped opening in the body and fall away without hindrance, thus affording maximum visibility and enabling the tool to be operated continuously.

The tools of my invention are preferably made 2 in pairs, left and right, the tools cutting toward the side to which the slot in the body opens, enabling the tools to be used right up to a bead or other interruption of the planed surface at either end.

Since the tool is provided with two handles, one positioned in advance of the line of cut and the other behind the line of cut, the operator can easily maintain the proper depth of out, thus eliminating involuntary changes in position of the tool due to local changes in the work piece.

I prefer to use the tool in a position approaching the vertical since in this position the shavings cut by the blade come away without filling up the slot and fall way from the tool, thus obviating the need of removing the tool from contact with the work to shake off the shavings. This advantage is one that cannot be obtained when using a plane and constitutes an important advance in the art, since it enables greater uniformity of cut to be obtained.

The oblique arrangement of the cutting blade insures that the leading corner of the blade is held so that it cannot dig into the work piece and cause pitting, and also insures a smoother cut, while the flat working face of the tool enables the correct depth,of cut to be maintained regardless of small variations in the angle and pressure on the cutting blade. I

It is believed obvious that my invention provides a novel tool of great utility and one providing a meritorious improvement over those at present used or suggested in the art of wood turning, and it will be understood that while I have shown a preferred form in detail that I do not mean to be limited to these details of construction, except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: 1

1. A wood turning tool which comprises: a body having a fiat working face and a bridge portion along one side thereof, said body being provided with a slot extending from a point adjacent said bridge obliquely across the longitudinal axis of said tool and through the opposite edge of said body; a cutting blade mounted on said body and extending through said slot to the working face of said body; and a pair of handles extending from opposite endsof said body substantially in the plane thereof, one ahead of, and one behind said blade, whereby when said tool is held in normal position on the rotating workpiece the axis of the handles will be at right angles to the axis of the work-piece, said blade will be disposed at an angle thereto with the open side of said slot facing downwardly to permit free egress of the chips therefrom.

plane thereof, one ahead of, and one behind said blade, whereby when said tool is held in normal position on the rotating work-piece the axis of the handles will be at right angles to the axis of the work-piece, said blade will be disposed at an angle thereto with the open side of said slot facing downwardly to permit free egress of the chips therefrom.

3. A wood turning tool which comprises: a body having a bridge portion along one side thereof, said body being provided with a slot extending from a point adjacent said bridge obliquely across the longitudinal axis of said tool and through the opposite edge of said body; a cutting blade mounted onv said body and extending through said slot to the working face of said body; and a pair of handles extending from opposite ends of said body, one ahead of, and one behind said blade, whereby when said tool is held in normal position on the rotating work-piece the axis of the handles will be at right angles to the axis of the work-piece, said blade will be disposed at an angle thereto with the open side of said slot facing downwardly to permit free egress of the chips therefrom.

4. A wood turning tool which comprises: a generally rectangular plate-like body having a bridge portion along one side thereof, said body being provided with a slot extending from a point adjacent said bridge obliquely across the longitudinal axis of said tool and through the opposite edge of said body; a cutting blade mounted on said body and extending through said slot to the working face of said body; and a pair of handles extending from opposite corners of said body, one ahead of, and one behind said blade,

whereby when said tool is held in normal position on the rotating work-piece the axis of the handles will be at right angles to the axis of the work-piece, said blade will be disposed at an angle thereto with the open side of said slot facing downwardly to permit free egress of the chips therefrom. I

5. A tool for cutting and smoothing the surface of a rotated work piece of wood or similar material comprising a tool body having a flat working face, handles projecting from opposite sides of said body and lying in the same plane, a blade supporting surface formed on said body portion, a cutting blade of plate-like form mounted on said supporting surface and projecting through said body, said body being formed to provide a slot extending from adjacent one side of said body across said body intermediate and transversely of said handles and through the opposite edge of said body.

6. A tool for cutting and smoothing the surface of a rotated work piece comprising a rectangular body of generally plate-like form, a handle extending from each of two diagonal opposite corners of said body and lying in the plane of said body portion, said body portion being divided except along one side by a wide V-shaped slot with its wide dimension lying in the lower or working face of the body, an upstanding bridge extending along the undivided edge of the body and forming the body into a rigid member, and a plate-like cutting blade detachably and adjustably supported on said body and projecting through said slot and extending across the whole length of said slot,

SAMUEL A. MOORE. 

